


Expansion Pack

by IWP_chan



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!, Magic Kaito, Persona 3, Persona 5, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Extra Content For Other Fics, Multi, Tumblr Ask Box Fic, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-25
Updated: 2018-11-30
Packaged: 2019-03-09 08:39:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 28
Words: 9,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13477755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IWP_chan/pseuds/IWP_chan
Summary: Collection of tumblr prompts and extra content/alternate POVs/alternate takes for my other fics.Update:Chapter 26: KHRChapter 26-28: P5





	1. Chapter 1

_Prompt: OnceABlueMoon asked for 'POV **-**_ ** _something that’s already happened, retold from another character’s perspective'_** _for a scene from Third Phase:_

Third Phase, Mami POV

 **Disclaimer:** Don’t own KHR

.

Mami stood in front of her house, one hand on the handle while the other clutched the bag holding the cookies she spent the afternoon baking in Tsuna's kitchen.

She… did not know if she wanted to go face her family at the moment.

How could she tell them that she finally accepted the option of surgery after so long stubbornly refusing it?

Would they be happy that she finally changed her mind?

 _Of course they will!_ The rational part of her shouted at her, full with conviction. But it was a very small part compared to the emotional part. No matter how she put it, she was still a coward who wanted to keep latching on the aspects she'd grown used to, the fire burning deep within her with intensity that hurt her as well, the fire that would be snuffed out, leaving her cold.

She hugged her arms around herself, suddenly second-guessing herself.

The crinkling sound of the bag and the feel of the cookies inside of it brought her back to reality.

She blinked, her hands clenching around the bag; she was such a coward, had been, still was and would probably always be.

Telling her family about wanting to go with the option of surgery was what she should do at the moment, she owed it to them, all of the time spent supporting her and worrying about her, fearing for her and helping her as much as they could.

She squared her shoulders; this was what Tsuna was referring to when he talked about important people, about being selfish in wanting them still close.

She did not want to hurt them more than she already had.

She opened the door and entered, her mind going to her friends; Yuni, I-Pin, Fran, Lambo and _Fuuta._ Just because she would no longer love him in a romantic capacity after the surgery, didn't mean that she would stop loving him or any of the others.

She walked to her family, facing their curious stares. Enma was staring at her with anticipation.

Oh, wouldn't he be over cloud nine once she told him?

She sat down and opened the bag of cookies.

"I was at Tsuna's place today, he taught me how to make cookies." She offered the cookies to her family. Enma slowly chewed on as he stared at her with the faint hope stirring in his chest clear on his face.

She wondered if he knew how obvious he was being, and she wished she snuck in some of Tsuna's cookies; they may have been able to successfully distract Enma. She shook that thought away, she was done hesitating.

"We talked a lot, too, about bravery and cowardice and selfishness." She waved her hands around, wishing Enma would stop looking like he was going to break into tears any moment now, after which _she_ would break into tears.

(Her bad habit: she always cried whenever Enma did.)

"Kaa-san, tou-san, Enma-nii, I decided that I am going with the surgery after all."

Enma started crying and Mami's tears spilled over in response.

"Nii-chan!" She tried to wipe his tears, to no avail. He kept crying and so did she.

Enma grabbed her and pulled her close, his arms encircling her and she cried harder.

.

End


	2. Chapter 2

_Prompt: Metronome I Hear asked for 'POV -_ **_something that’s already happened, retold from another character’s perspective_ ** **_'_ ** _but didn't specify, so I picked:_

Moonlight Sonata, Hibari POV

**Disclaimer:** Don’t own KHR or Detective Conan.

.

The little animal is at it again.

Kyouya climbs through the window, listening to the music which isn't interrupted by his appearance.

Kyouya observes the little animal, small, with fluffy hair and clouded, amber eyes.

Kyouya doesn't understand what makes him play the piano every month on the full moon, what makes him play the same music every time, what makes him so. So.

_Kyouya didn't have a word for it._

Kyouya blinks and there is fire in his vision, creeping up the little animal's arms and sliding down his legs.

Kyouya is frozen in place, fists clenched, eyes wide, before he rushes in, his hands go to the fire-

But the fire doesn't burn.

Kyouya freezes again, marveling at the feel of the fire, its warmth, its light.

Nothing is burning.

The music cuts off.

The little animal is staring at him and not, staring at him and _through_ him.

Kyouya wonders, perplexed, confused, frustrated: just _who_ is this little animal?

The little animal returns to the piano and the music plays again. There is a strange smile on his face.

Kyouya steps back, still staring at the fire until it burns out, until the music stops again, until the little animal stands up and leaves.

Kyouya shadows him to his house before he makes his way home.

(It sparks of a new habit of his: he never returns until the little animal is safe and sound in his house.)

.

End


	3. Chapter 3

_For ‘send me a summary of a fic you wish I’d write’ ask meme._

**_OnceABlueMoon:_ ** _For the summary ask meme: Floating Fortresses were decidedly NOT Enma's forte. Vampire boys in dresses and fire-breathing dragons, however, were._

**Disclaimer:** Don’t own KHR

.

Out of all the outlandish things Enma expected to happen to him, he never thought he’d end up travelling into a world that looked like it came out of one of Tsuna’s isekai manga.

And Enma went to a _magic school_.

There was a little kid in a dress standing above him, pouting and tapping a foot impatiently on the ground.

“You done gawking?” The kid said imperiously, “If so, I have summoned you here to aid my nation, _o great hero!_ ”  the kid bit out the last couple of words with a sneer on their face.

Hero? Now Enma was absolutely sure someone made a mistake somewhere.

“I’m sorry, but I think you’re mistaken. I’m not a he-“

Enma was interrupted by the kid baring their suddenly too sharp fangs at him in a snarl, their eyes glowing red with slit pupils, “Did you just imply that I made a mistake like some novice? Drake!” The kid shouted and a dragon was heard roaring in the distance. Right. Up. Above. Them.

Enma raised his head to stare in shock as a dragon descended to land behind the enraged vampire child, wings stretched and gaping maw full of flames.

A vampire in a dress and a fire-breathing dragon? He could handle this. At least they weren’t one and the same (love you, Tsuna).

Okay, he could do this. And he hoped he got to get back home before dinner lest Giotto upend the multiverse looking for him.

.

End


	4. Chapter 4

_For ‘send me a summary of a fic you wish I’d write’ ask meme._

**_Metronome I Hear:_ ** _I'm just going to put this in your ask box. Mostly because I'm evil. For that wish you would write meme: Daemon Spade at Akechi Goro._

_Note: previous incarnation as Persona, liberties taken because I don’t know how the specific event I portray here happened in canon._

**Disclaimer:** Don’t own KHR or P5

.

The moment Goro awakened the memories of his past life was the moment he awakened his Persona for the first time.

In a different world, one where Goro wasn’t a reincarnated soul, the Persona rising from the flames would be a horned figure stripped in black and white.

In this world…

An ominous chuckle echoed in the air and a scythe glinted above Goro’s head. The figure holding it stared down at Goro with a pair of amused eyes with spade symbols for pupils.

“Wha-“ Goro choked, the memories overwhelming him and the fatigue from summoning this… whatever this was, knocking him off his feet.

The figure (Deamon Spade, a whisper reverberated through Goro’s mind) smirked, the tilt of his lip mocking and dangerous, “Nufu~ What was it that those souls keep on repeating? Oh yes, I am thou, thou art I.” Deamon clapped his hands together, his form shimmering in a mist-like haze, “I shall be your Persona from now on.” Deamon tilted his scythe until the blunt edge of its curved blade rested against Goro’s cheek, “I certainly hope we have a beneficial partnership.”

.

End


	5. Chapter 5

_For ‘send me a summary of a fic you wish I’d write’ ask meme._

**_Adel Mortescryche_ ** _: For the ask thing: a fic where Kaito suddenly wakes up one day to fine himself in Akira's body. While Akira wakes up in Kaito's. *innocent smile*_

**Disclaimer:** Don’t own P5 or Magic Kaito

.

There was a cat meowing at him.

He was in a new place, in a different body and there was a cat meowing at him as if expecting him to understand whatever it was that it was saying.

He had no idea where he was and who the person whose face he wore at the moment was.

Well damn.

Out of all the revenge plans Akako could have concocted against him, the situation Kaito found himself in didn’t even rank in the top ten he’d imagine could happen.

Now, what was a magician who moonlighted as a world-famous Phantom Thief to do?

.

Akira had his share of weird things happening to him, but a high school girl threateningly brandishing a broom and glaring at him was new.

“Who are you and what did you do to Kaito?”

Akira warily eyed the broom and wondered if the officers who interrogated him hit his head a little too hard.

.

End


	6. Chapter 6

A prompt from Writing Prompts over on tumblr:

_One morning you start seeing peoples levels and exp, and the title they have. Most people seem to have levels from 2-7 but one day in, class you look at your crush: “Level 2893 Dragon Empress”_

**Disclaimer:** Don’t own KHR

.

Tsuna-chan fiddles with the hem of her school uniform’s skirt and shyly peers at Enma from under her eye lashes.

Enma has to take a deep breath before she combusts from the sheer cuteness and, and, and-

Enma’s eyes flit to the letters floating above Tsuna-chan’s head.

_[ Level 2893 Dragon Empress ]_

Enma has seen Tsuna-chan do amazing feats (including, but not limited to: beating the leader of the Vindice) so she has no problem believing that Tsuna, with her overwhelming fire and intense amber eyes can have such a high level. But-

A weight drops on her shoulder, and she turns her head just enough to see Natsu settling on her shoulder and peering at her with innocent eyes.

A Dragon Empress with such a box weapon that is supposed to reflect her self. The contradiction is breath-taking.

Tsuna takes advantage of Enma’s momentary distraction with Natsu and scoots close so close to Enma, the two are almost touching.

Enma looks into Tsuna’s eyes and see slit pupils in a pair of orange irises and swallows thickly, the blood rushing into her head, causing her face to glow red as dizziness overtakes her.

(It’s not like she minds it anyway.)

.

End


	7. Chapter 7

_Prompt: Aoife asked for ‘BEFORE THE BEGINNING — **three sentences (or more) about something that happened before the plot of my current project** ’ for Horizon Garter Belt AU (Horizon Prompts #38-#39)_

**Disclaimer:** Don’t own KHR

.

The Little Shit was sighing again.

“ _What now, trash?_ ” Xanxus snarled, slamming his hands on his desk.

The Little Shit merely ignored him and sighed again.

(Xanxus could easily see the situation ending in one of two ways: either he caved in and did whatever the Little Shit wanted, or he did his absolute best to put a bullet between her eyes.)

.

End


	8. Chapter 8

_Prompt: Aoife asked for 'POV **-**_ ** _something that’s already happened, retold from another character’s perspective'_** _for a scene from Horizon’s Garter Belt AU (Horizon Prompts #38-#39)_

**Disclaimer:** Don’t own KHR

.

As the Varia arrived at the ball, Xanxus carefully surveyed the attendees until his eyes landed on a familiar mop of red hair. So she came, good- Xanxus didn’t want to be pestered by the Little Shit some more, and if he could throw her towards the Shimon trash, that would be perfect.

Next to him stood the Little Shit, looking like an oblivious lamb who stumbled into a nest of hungry monsters waiting to eat her.

Of course, none of them looked past the soft features, diminutive stature and wide eyes to the predator lurking within.

(Watching them flail as they’d eventually come face to face with the Little Shit’s true face would be the best compensation Xanxus would get for his trouble. The stunned look the Shimon trash wore on her face as she stared at the Little Shit was just a bonus.)

.

End


	9. Chapter 9

_For the fake title prompt ask meme on tumblr. **Morcai** sent ‘_and all the choirs in my head sang _’ for a KHR fic._

 **Disclaimer:** Don’t own KHR.

.

The moment he transitions from sleep to wakefulness, the screams are cut off. He stumbles out of the bed, a phantom hand slapping him lightly on the back, and a voice hisses into his ear, _‘Stand straight, Daniela,’_

He shakes his head and the voice away, only for a different voice to filter in, _‘Will you ever get your hair tamed, Giotto? It’s a mess!’_

He suppresses the instinctive urge to laugh at the voice, swallowing down the _‘You should be used to it at this point, my dear G’_ that threatens to slip from his lips.

He makes his way to the bathroom to prepare for the day, doing his absolute best to tune out the voices, thoughts, and memories filling his mind to the brim.

He can never get them straightened out, can never figure out their origins; are they his memories from a past life (or past lives, as it is)? Does he see or hear into other realities? Into other times?

It’s all too fresh in his mind every morning, and he remembers them better than he does the events of the day before.

And in the quiet moments in the morning, it’s difficult to separate them from his own being, lines blurring enough that he can never remember if he is Giotto or Ricardo or Timoteo when he rises each morning.

Remembering too much, remembering too little.

But isn’t that his problem?

Supposedly, his name is Tsunayoshi, Tsuna, yet he knows more of strangers he’d never met than he knows about his own self.

.

In which Tsuna has amnesia, and having the Vongola Sky Ring with what it holds around is pretty much counterproductive for his recovery.


	10. Chapter 10

_For the fake title prompt ask meme on tumblr. **OnceABlueMoon** sent ‘_ Sweet, Sweet Murder (With a Cherry On Top) _’, no specified fandom._

 **Disclaimer:** Don’t own P5 or KHR.

.

There are dark fumes rising from the cups of coffee, coffee more purple than any coffee has any right to be.

“It’s a new recipe I learned from a nice girl I met the other day!” Haru beams, and her friends give the coffee bemused, wary, or curious stares.

“Pass,” Ryuji immediately declares, and when Haru gives him a Sad Stare, he shakes his head vehemently, “I don’t even like coffee so I won’t work as a judge or taste-tester or whatever.”

Morgana slinks away, “I don’t drink coffee either. It’s not good for my body.”

Makoto and Akira eye their cups warily, while Futaba, Ann, and Yusuke curiously peer into theirs.

“Hmm?” Ann curiously sniffs, before she blinks dazedly and stumbles out of her seat, “Woah!”

Futaba switches her gaze towards Ann before she turns back to her cup with a more cautious air about her.

Yusuke’s curiosity, however, is too strong to be deterred by suspicious appearances and reactions, and as such he’s the only one to sip from the cup.

In the next moment, he falls sideways off his chair and topples to the floor in a graceless heap.

The rest stare at him in shock before they leap towards him in worry.

“Yusuke?” Makoto calls out while Akira shakes Yusuke gently.

Yusuke doesn’t stir.

“I’m going to call a doctor,” Akira says faintly.

.

KHRP5 lowkey crossover in which Okumura Haru meets Bianchi and gets to talking with her about cooking. There are… consequences…


	11. Chapter 11

_For the fake title prompt ask meme on tumblr. Anon sent ‘_ Please don’t take off my mask _’, for akeshu/shuake._

 **Disclaimer:** Don’t own P5.

.

“Do you have to be so dramatic?” Goro hisses lowly in Akira’s ear as he dips him low to the ground, face hidden from the audience’s view.

He doesn’t need to look at him to feel the shit-eating grin that is doubtlessly spreading across Akira’s face.

“Do you even have to ask?” Akira purrs, the sound sending shivers down Goro’s spine, “We’re at a masquerade. I’m offended that you’d even assume I won’t be extra dramatic just for the occasion.”

Goro sighs, “I can’t take you with me anywhere.”

“Aw,” Akira coos as Goro pulls him up from the dip and twirls him around, allowing the hem of his dress to flare out, enough to be an alluring sight, but not enough to expose the entirety of his legs- and the folding knife strapped to his inner thigh, “I love you too, honey.”

As Goro pulls him close to continue the dance, Akira sneakily presses a kiss to his neck, and Goro’s hold tightens on him, “Not now, we have work to do.”

“Killjoy…”

.

Currently undetermined AU but just know that Shido is holding a masquerade and Akechi and Akira are here to just muck about it in his business and make everyone’s night terrible.


	12. Chapter 12

_For the fake title prompt ask meme on tumblr. **JadeDraggy2017** sent ‘_Is that a Cat in your Bag, or did you just Commit a Robbery??? _’, no specified fandom._

 **Disclaimer:** Don’t own P5.

.

The light turns on, and Goro freezes in place, bag clutched tightly to his chest.

In front of him stands Sae, arms crossed, eyebrow raised, and foot tapping on the floor.

“Would you tell me where exactly have you been this late at night?” She narrows her eyes at him, and he subtly gulps; he… had not prepared an excuse to feed to Sae as he’d assumed she’d be busy with work and wouldn’t notice his absence.

His sister continues to surprise him yet again…

His bag rustles, and Sae’s eyes zero in on it.

“Goro?” She prompts him again, and he breaks out into cold sweat.

He’s going to die, here and now, at his sister’s hands.

(But he didn’t even get to watch today’s episode of Featherman! He can’t die now!)

.

Not Black Mask!Not a Detective Prince!Niijima!Goro AU where he’s the one who finds Morgana after Morgana runs away from the PT. In serious need of Bullshitting Skills superior enough to fly under Sae’s radar. If he survives the first night after smuggling a cat in, that is.


	13. Chapter 13

_For the fake title prompt ask meme on tumblr. **Justiicearcana** sent ‘_ The flowers are for you, dumbass _’, no fandom specified._

 **Disclaimer:** Don’t own P5.

.

“The flowers are for you, dumbass.” Is the first thing Ren says to Goro.

Well, in his defense, he’d been having a bad day and was running errands like delivering huge flower bouquets from star struck secret admirers to their object of affection, and Goro had been trying to evade him.

Well, in _Goro’s_ defense, he assumed he was in Ren’s way and that was why he tried to get out of the way.

Until Ren persisted and kept following him, then it turned into a mad chase as Goro tried to ditch whom he feared was a stalker, and Ren attempted to complete his task.

And so.

“The flowers are for you, dumbass!” Ren snarls, panting from the exertion and scowling at Goro whom he has finally cornered.

“Ah?” Goro’s eyes flit about, trying to find an escape route, “They are?”

“Look, I’m just the delivery guy!” Ren thrusts the bouquet towards him, “Just take it so that I can finally get back home!”

“O-kay…” Goro takes the bouquet and watches Ren push away from him and walk away like nothing has happened, hands shoved into his pockets.

And that is the end of it.

Or. It’s _supposed_ to be the end of it…

(Goro awkwardly wishes the ground would open up and swallow him when his next meeting with Ren involves accidentally pantsing him in public.)

(It’s the start of a beautiful relationship.)

.

Fic where Ren and Goro continue to meet up in the most unfortunate of circumstances, top tier Misunderstandings’ fuel, but somehow still end up together in a functioning relationship.

The unfortunate circumstances don’t stop though…Their life is suffering. But what else is new?


	14. Chapter 14

_For the fake title prompt ask meme on tumblr. Anon sent ‘_ Until Midnight _’, no fandom specified._

 **Disclaimer:** Don’t own P5.

.

Ren blinks blearily as he’s roused from his sleep by the ringing of his phone. There is no school today so he wonders which of his friends is calling him, probably to ask him to hang out together for the day.

“Ren!” Goro’s voice filters into his ear, way too chipper for how early it is, but then again, Ren comes alive at night, he doesn’t understand Morning People.

“Goro?” He croaks out before he clears his throat, “What is it?”

“Oh!” Goro’s voice lowers, “Did I wake you?”

Ren can’t suppress a yawn, “Yeah… Naturally.”

“Sorry.” Ren can practically hear the wince in Goro’s voice.

Ren sneaks a peek at the clock, “It’s okay. I’m supposed to be up in a few for breakfast anyway.” That, and he’d been meaning to go to the mall to stock up from the pharmacy and get the weapons from the antique shop as they’re going to be ready today. “Did you want something?”

“Ah. I was wondering if you won’t mind hanging out together today.” Goro sounds nervous, and Ren sits straight on the bed; Goro has never offered to hang out before, in fact, he’s always kept to himself.

For him to start opening up, or at least trying to open up…

“Sure, I don’t mind. Did you have anything in mind?”

“Not. Not really,” Goro responds hesitantly, surprise coloring his voice as if he believed Akira wouldn’t agree, “I will admit that I didn’t think that far ahead. It was a spur of the moment decision.”

“That’s alright.” Akira suppresses a laugh, “I’m planning to go to the mall today to stock up for tonight; would you like to come with me? We can swing by the café or go to Hagakure or the beef bowl shop for lunch afterwards. What do you think?”

Goro is silent for a few moments before he responds, “That sounds lovely. Should I meet you there?”

.

P5 P3 AU! :D With the PT as the SEES members ^^


	15. Chapter 15

_For the fake title prompt ask meme on tumblr. **hearts_kun** sent ‘_ For Once the Sun Was Black but My Heart Was Not _’, no fandom specified._

 **Disclaimer:** Don’t own P5.

.

Goro snaps out of his daze by way of Bless magic slipping into his magic network from the hand firmly clutching his shoulder, and he shakes his head, letting the remnants of his self-inflicted Berserk spell slip away from him.

“Good to have you back.” Goro’s eyes meet Akira’s, who’s gazing at him intently.

Goro sighs in mock-exasperation, “I’m not a teenager anymore; I can keep myself in check.”

“That wasn’t what I was worried about,” Akira responds dryly, “The Shades have all dispersed not long after you went Berserk, so I didn’t want to just sit around and wait for it to wear off on its own.” He pouts, “You’re not very entertaining company while Berserk and it’s just the two of us- I’d get bored all on my own.”

Goro rolls his eyes, “Glad to see you haven’t suffered death by boredom, then.”

“Well, that and I wanted to check how effective providing you with Bless magic is in regards to using it on you as a counter to mental state affecting spells.”

Goro shakes his head in amusement, “So, how did it go?”

“Worked like a charm.” A pause, “I’m hungry.”

Goro snorted.

.

Fantasy AU? A few years post canon AU? [shrugs] I just know it’s the apocalypse happening right now, and all Akechi and Akira are concerned with is survival. It’s not their job to stop the end of the world, this time around.


	16. Chapter 16

_For the fake title prompt ask meme on tumblr. Anon sent ‘_ don’t threaten me with a good time _’ or ‘_ death of a bachelor _’, no fandom specified._

 _Picked ‘_ don’t threaten me with a good time _’._

 **Disclaimer:** Don’t own P5.

.

Ren gasps as he slams into someone at the corner and drops the files in his hands.

“Ah, my apologies!” Akechi Goro says, eyes slightly wide as he bends down with Ren to start gathering the filers, “I didn’t see you there.”

“It’s alright,” Ren says demurely, teeth biting into his red-painted lips, “I’m not usually the type who easily gets noticed.” He sends a shy grin Akechi’s way.

“Oh?” Akechi sends a reassuring smile Ren’s way, “I find that hard to believe. You look too stunning not to be easily noticed. I must have been struck blind for a moment not to see you.” He chuckles lightly.

Ren stares at him wide-eyed and pink-cheeked, “T-that’s-! You flatter me too much.” Ren reaches a hand to fiddle with his bangs, ducking his head down to stare at the floor and the files he had already gathered into his other hand.

“I’m simply speaking the truth,” Akechi says, and Ren observes him from underneath his fringe, watching Akechi as his eyes trailed over Ren’s figure, gaze lingering on Ren’s collar bones peaking from the opening of his shirt, Ren’s neck, and Ren’s lips.

He suppresses a low chuckle as he gathers the files, apologizes once more to Akechi, and walks away, adding a subtle sway to his hips as he moves.

_First contact has been made. Now, next on the agenda-_

.

In which Amamiya Ren is a Black Widow who has his eyes set on Akechi Goro, Shido Masayoshi’s son and heir.


	17. Chapter 17

_For the fake title prompt ask meme on tumblr. **Metronome I Hear** sent ‘_ Seeing in Diagonals _’ for any fandom._

 **Disclaimer:** Don’t own P5.

.

As he grows up, Goro realizes he can see things other people can’t, and he hates it.

He knows, when his fifth birthday passes and he looks at his mother only to see an image superimposed on her form, of herself, but tired, pale, drenched in water, and with blood dripping from her slit wrists, that something is horribly wrong.

He’s terrified, understandably so, and he starts sobbing and crying, and clinging to his mother as if she’s about to disappear into thin air if he doesn’t hold onto her tightly and never lets go. His mother is distressed, and she can’t understand from the jumble of words he’s spewing through his tears anything other than his begging for her to stay, to not leave him alone.

Later, he’s tired, and he mumbles to her, words slurred together, as he describes what he saw.

He falls asleep before he can see the strange look his mother sends him.

.

His mother keeps him under a close watch afterwards, and he doesn’t complain, as he’s happy to keep a close watch on her as well, the irrational fear that he might lose her any second if he takes his eyes off of her grips him tightly and never lets go.

But then his father enters his life, and it starts a different set of nightmares.

.

His father is a tall, imposing figure with a bald head and sharp eyes behind a pair of glasses. His voice is deep and commanding, he moves and acts like he’s a king walking among his people, there to guide them, and he is terrifying.

(It’s there, when his father’s eyes change into a glowing golden color, the days Goro is reminded that his name is still Akechi Goro, rather than Shido Goro, and it will remain as such forever, the days Goro is reminded his father will deny his and his mother’s existence to the world outside of their little family.)

.

But then, when his father still returns home, still puts a smile on his mother’s face, still bends down to pat Goro on the head, still gets Goro to talk (about his life, about his hobbies, about school, about his dreams) and listens to him, Goro is at ease.

For all that his father is not a warm person, and isn’t around a lot, and doesn’t smile much, he still comes back to them, takes care of them in his own way. And that is enough for Goro.

(He doesn’t think he can manage to be in close proximity to his father for an extended amount of time before unease and terror start to seep into him, so it’s a blessing in disguise.)

.

As he grows from a little kid to a teen to an almost adult, he learns to handle the unexpected sight he has, to treat it as an extra sense that gives him more information about the people he sees as he goes about his life.

(Like the famous artist Madarame, who smiles genially as he moves about in his well-worn clothes, speaking of modesty and humbleness, but turns his face to sneer at everyone present with his golden eyes and red-painted lips and fancy clothes, to spit about their ignorance.)

And the places.

(Shibuya’s station is a nightmare, and he can never leave it quickly enough when he has to use it. And even Shibuya is a hit and mess when the people around him decide to turn into walking ATMs.)

.

But sometimes (a lot of times), he is reminded of how much of a curse his sight actually is.

On the days his relationship with his mother is strained, and the image of her pale face with slit wrists haunts him.

On the days he looks in the mirror and sees himself stare back with a blank face and empty eyes, and looking ready to reach through the mirror to murder him.

And on the day he accidentally stumbles into a person around his age, takes a look at his face, and almost falls to his knees at the sight of the other’s bruised face, with a clear gunshot wound through his forehead bleeding freely down his face.

.

.

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AU where Akechi is reborn anew but with his memories of his past life bleeding through enough for him to see them as flashes wherever he goes.


	18. Chapter 18

_For the fake title prompt ask meme on tumblr. Anon sent ‘_ “These are real gremlin hours” _’ for P5._

 **Disclaimer:** Don’t own P5.

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“So,” Futaba starts, her glasses glinting wickedly as she surveys the group of people around her, all curled up in their seats the same was she is, wearing glasses with a pair of headphones on their heads, “It’s absolutely interesting how we all share a certain similarity.” Her eyes flit towards laptops each one of them had in front of them, open as they all typed away.

One of them, brown-haired and red-eyed, the one she is sure is Akechi Goro, “Yes.” His gaze casually moves towards the group of Necronomicons floating in the air above them before he turns to the slim crack in reality they all had stumbled through earlier, “Codename? I’m Oracle.”

Futaba shrugs, “Aye, another Oracle here as well.”

Other Akira sitting on the chair next to Other Akechi quirks his head to the side before nodding, “Oracle.”

“What a coincidence,” Other Haru piped up, “I’m Oracle as well.”

Other Yusuke next to her nods, “And I, as well.”

Other Ann and Other Ryuji shrug, “Yeah, me too.” They chorus.

Off to the side, Other Makoto frowns slightly, shoulders hunched, “I’m Oracle, too.”

As one, the group turns into the last one in the group, black-haired and blue-eyed, who gives them a cat-like grin, “Well, so am I. Hilarious, huh?”

Well. A human Morgana. Would wonders ever cease? Probably not.

“So,” Other Akira starts again, “Alternate realities?”

The group as a whole shares a look between them, all of them coming to the silent agreement that there really is no other explanation for the situation.

“This is going to be fun~” Other human Morgana lets out a mad cackle, and the rest follow suit with their own amused reactions.

“Huh.” Futaba grins widely, “These are real gremlin hours!”

(Somewhere away, each of the multiple Phantom Thieves teams shudder in unison while looking for their respective Oracles.)

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Fic a la Inter-Dimensional AUs. The multiple Hermit Oracles from various role swap AUs gather in one place. Let the other PT shudder in horror.


	19. Chapter 19

_For the fake title prompt ask meme on tumblr. Anon sent ‘_ Even in the dark night _’, no fandom specified._

 **Disclaimer:** Don’t own P3.

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Hamuko gasps as pain lances through her skull, and she raises her trembling hands to clutch her head before hunching over as she tries to gather her thoughts.

A voice whispers in her ear, soft and melodious, telling her to collect herself and stand up, to speak and let her voice be heard, to not let the disgusting creature in front of her get away with his horrendous deeds.

She chuckles breathlessly from the pain before she straightens up to stand firmly and glare at the cape-clad figure standing in front of her, sneering down at her.

Her hands reach to the mask sitting snugly against her face and tear it off, heedless of how much it feels like she’s tearing her skin as well.

(And she is, she notes absently, because she can feel the blood streaming down her face.)

“Persona!” She calls out, and senses the imposing form materializing behind her. She feels her hand grip the naginata that has somehow made its way into her possession, and takes a ready stance, “You’re going down, Kamoshida!”

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I haven’t finished playing P3P yet but here we are: P3/P3P P5-ish AU, Hamuko starts high school at Shujin from her first year and stumbles into Kamoshida’s Palace. With SEES as the PT. Kinda. Actually not sure if there will be PT in this AU yet but anyway.


	20. Chapter 20

_For the fake title prompt ask meme on tumblr. Anon sent ‘_ A miracle is awakening _’, no fandom specified._

 **Disclaimer:** Don’t own P3.

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Minato blinks when the music coming through his headphones cuts off as the world around him ripples and distorts. He stares down at his phone, where he has the new navigation app open with his destination inputted.

He cocks his head to the side, briefly contemplating the situation before he starts tapping through the app for directions to his new address but to no avail; the app refuses to respond. He sighs as he exits out of it and pockets his phone, noting how its screen immediately turns dark.

No music player, and no phone.

What to do…

He starts walking straight ahead through the streets, planning to ask the first person he sees for directions, when the sound of footsteps behind him attracts his attention.

A voice calls out to him, and he turns to face a girl around his age, dressed in Shujin’s uniform, brown hair up in a short ponytail, red eyes staring at him in curiosity.

“Are you the new student transferring to Shujin this year?” She asks him, and he nods. She smiles, “You’re heading the wrong way. Must have taken a wrong turn at some point. The way you’re going you’re just going to end up making your way back to the station. Allow me.” She beckons him to the side, retracing his footsteps until the point his phone died on him and pulling him into a turn to the right.

She takes her phone out and taps away at the screen, and a voice chimes from its speaker, “Returning to the real world.”

The world distorts again as the two walk, and the moment the distortion fades away, the music starts once again.

“My name is Arisato Hamuko, it’s nice to meet you.”

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Would be a companion fic to ‘Even in the dark night’. Minato transfers to Shujin a year after Hamuko starts there and the two become friends. Shenanigans ensue.


	21. Chapter 21

_For the fake title prompt ask meme on tumblr. **Somebodylost-chan** sent ‘_ The Adventures of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Man of Tomorrow _’, no specified fandom._

 **Disclaimer:** Don’t own P5.

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Goro cocks his head to the side in curiosity as he reaches out a hand to gently poke the tiny person in front of him.

The tiny person merely smiles as he accepts the poke to his head with as much dignity as he could muster.

“Yes, kiddo, was there something you wanted?” The tiny person asks patiently, and Goro retracts his hand, wonder filling his gaze as he looks around again at the vibrantly colored flowers covering the walls of the room.

“Where am I?” Goro asks.

The tiny figure gives him a sympathetic look, “You’re a Lost One, I see. It’s alright, everyone here starts as a Lost One before becoming an inhabitant of this world. As for where you are, this is the Velveteen, a world that exists between dream and reality.”

Goro sends him a confused look, “And that means?”

The tiny figure shrugs, “No one really knows. That’s just the definition the first people to inhabit the place came up with. As far as I’m concerned, you’re lost. Just like the rest of us were.”

“Lost?” Goro frowns, “How can I get back home?”

The tiny figure looks sad as he answers Goro, “You’ll have to get back home the same way you got here.”

“But I don’t remember how I got here!” Goro frowns, mouth twisting in displeasure.

The tiny figure sighs, “No one ever does.”

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AU in which kiddie Goro finds himself in another world full of magic and wonders and he has to find his way back home ASAP before his mother starts worrying about him.


	22. Chapter 22

_For the fake title prompt ask meme on tumblr. Anon sent ‘_ Let’s face it tomorrow _’, no specified fandom._

 **Disclaimer:** Don’t own P5.

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“The enemies are all in position,” Oracle states, “Are you all ready?” She looks at the rest of the Thieves, somber eyes hidden behind her goggles. The rest of the Thieves look back at her with determined expressions before they all turn to Crow, who nods his head.

“You all remember where the exit points are, yes?” He asks, and they all nod. “Alright. Here we go.” With that said, he rushes out of the room where the Thieves had fought Sae’s Shadow, to put the next part of the plan into action.

The Thieves waste no time in following in his example, except they head to the escape routes they’ve all planned ahead of time, splitting up when needed to avoid detection, with Oracle keeping them all in contact with each other, and specifically keeping an eye out on Crow, who’s meant to approach the police and-

They all have never thought they’d ever need to use their Personas’ skills against normal humans, but it’s either that or risk the police chasing their leader down and arresting him, and then doing who knows what (the Thieves know, and oh do they know, but it doesn’t make it any easier to think about) to him.

With clenched teeth, they all head to escape the Palace with their leader safely along with them.

(It’s going to be a temporary freedom; Crow is going to bring them Sae after he’s done distracting the police, and then they’ll need to use every single persuasive skill at their disposal to turn her to their side. For their own safety. For their leader’s continued survival.)

(It’s going to be difficult, trusting Crow with such an important task, but-)

As they all slip away from the Metaverse, each heading to their planned destination, they discreetly confirm their escape with each other, and move on to the next part of the plan. There is no time to be over-thinking and second-guessing.

Whatever may come at them, they shall face it head on.

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Shameless self-indulgent AU where Goro frankly doesn’t want to kill Akira and reaches out to the Thieves, who accept him into their fold as they all plot how to dodge the upcoming blow, keeping their leader alive and managing to stay under the radar so that Shido won’t notice them. It’s a mess but they’ll make it through, come hell or high water.


	23. Chapter 23

_For the fake title ask meme on tumblr. **justiicearcana** sent ‘_I’m far from good, it’s true. But still I find you next to me _’ for P5._

 **Disclaimer:** Don’t own P5.

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“Hey, Mitsuki!” Akira calls out to her from the side, and Mitsuki turns her head to give her an inquisitive look, chopsticks hovering over her bento (provided courtesy of Akira, who believes Mitsuki doesn’t eat well enough, which. True.), “When are you planning to start?”

“Start?” Mitsuki parrots, confused.

“Yes.” Akira gives her a piercing look, “You know, your investigation? About the so called Phantom Thieves of Hearts?”

Mitsuki muffles her chuckles into her hand, “Ah. I didn’t think you’d remember that.”

“Of course I would.” Akira rolls her eyes, “How am I supposed to just forget about a group of people calling themselves phantom thieves? Also, you’ve always talked my ears off about how one day you’re going to become a famous detective and solve difficult cases the police can’t do anything about, and how I’m going to be your assistant. So I find it hard to believe you won’t be interested in something like these Phantom Thieves.”

Mitsuki suppresses a blush, “I see.”

“Yeah.”

“I didn’t expect you’d be this enthusiastic about it.”

Akira blushes lightly, and she reaches a hand to her hair to fiddle with her bangs in a nervous gesture Mitsuki is more than familiar with.

(She tries very hard to not think of how adorable the gesture is. She fails. Like each and every time something similar happens.)

“Well, anyway.” Akira clears her throat, “What do you expect me to be enthusiastic about anyway? Becoming your wife, like you declared when we were ten?”

Mitsuki attempts to suppress a blush for the second time but she fails, “Stop bringing that up!”

“Never!”

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AU where fem!Akechi and fem!Akira are childhood friends and the whole Detective Prince and probation deal doesn’t happen. They attend Kosei. The PT are starting to gain popularity, and Akira is curious enough to drag Akechi on a search for clues. Not that Akechi, with her detective aspirations, would mind anyway.

Akechi is the leader of the PT.


	24. Chapter 24

_For the fake title prompt ask meme on tumblr. **justiicearcana** sent ‘_ We’ve never met but can we have coffee or something _’ for P5._

 **Disclaimer:** Don’t own P5.

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Goro carefully observes the customer as he goes about ringing-up his purchases.

Dark, curly hair, with dark eyes, standing slouched, and dressed casually- not that Goro expects him to be dressed fancily for what looks like a quick trip to the supermarket.

Goro has the vague feeling that the customer should be wearing glasses too, but he dismisses the stray thought, putting it aside as one of those strange flashes he experiences from time to time.

(He also dismisses the faint image of blood dripping down the other’s face as another flash.)

(He hates his memory, how it just up and fucked off at some point in the past few months.)

The customer is blatantly staring right back at him with something akin to wonder in his eyes.

Goro gets the feeling that this expression is not one the stranger- (but is he a stranger? A voice whispers in his mind, and he ruthlessly squashes it down)- sports often.

“Is something the matter?” Goro asks as he finishes with the customer’s purchase, way too rude and confrontational for a simple cashier addressing a customer; if his manager hears about this-

The stranger blinks as if he’d been lost in thought and had just realized where he was, “Sorry,” He says bashfully, hand reaching up to tug at his bangs in an embarrassed gesture.

It’s like a punch to Goro’s guts, but he doesn’t understand why, and he hates it.

“I was wondering,” The stranger continues, “Have we met before?”

You wish, Goro thinks. _I_ wish, Goro thinks.

“I don’t remember if we have,” He says.

(Not like he remembers shit anyway.)

“Oh.” The stranger seems disappointed, and for some reason, Goro feels disappointed as well.

“Sorry to bother you.” The stranger ducks his head and reaches for his wallet to pay before taking his bags and leaving.

The doors close after him, and dread pours into Goro’s being, filling him to the brim and choking him with incomprehensible terror.

He doesn’t realize he had run out after the stranger until after he shouted for him to wait, reaching a hand to take a hold of his shoulder to stop him.

The stranger turns, blinking at him in confusion.

“Um.” Goro awkwardly stands in place, trying to collect his thoughts and say something, try to explain what happened (but what is there to explain?).

“Yes?”

Under the stranger’s patient gaze, Goro shuffles awkwardly before he reaches for his phone, “This may sound strange but uh do you want to exchange contact information?”

The stranger (who hopefully won’t remain a stranger for long- the idea sends an unexplainable thrill down Goro’s spine) sends him a small smile that reaches into Goro’s chest, grasps onto his heart, and squeezes.

(He doesn’t remember ever receiving such smiles- lack of memory notwithstanding.)

“Sure.”

After the two exchange contact information, they stand around in awkward silence, wondering what to do next.

Moments later, the silence is broken by the stranger (still stranger, Goro grouses inwardly) chuckling lightly, “I should introduce myself-“ Ah, “-my name is Amamiya Ren.”

“Amamiya-kun.” The name rolls easily off his tongue, as if he spent his entire life practicing how to say it, which is absurd, and his lips pull upwards at the corners in an unmistakable smile, “My name is Goro. Edogawa Goro.”

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Post canon fic in which both Ren and Goro meet in Ren’s hometown. Both are amnesiac, but still as drawn to each other as before.

Commence getting to know each other all over again with a side of regaining memories :D


	25. Chapter 25

_For the fake title prompt ask meme on tumblr. **Lord_Maple** sent ‘_ 4 Years of Hypovolemic Shock _’, no fandom specified._

 **Disclaimer:** Don’t own P5.

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The sight of blood staining the floor irritates Mitsuki beyond imagination.

She exhales through her nose as she starts cleaning up the mess, movements deft and efficient as if she’s used to it.

Which she is, there is no denying it, how long has it been since- No, she shakes his head violently, now is not the time to dwell on such thoughts; she has other things to worry about, like where her partner has disappeared to.

(She refuses to even entertain the possibility that the blood belongs to her partner, there is no way-)

There is a sigh from behind her, and she almost jumps out of her skin at the sudden noise.

She keeps tight control of her composure, however, and tilts her head to sneak a peek at whoever snuck behind her. She exhales again when she confirms that it’s, indeed, her partner.

(She should have known, really, no one is as silent as Ren in their steps.)

“How many times do I have to tell you to pick up after yourself?” She starts, not doing anything to hide the annoyance dripping from her words.

Ren has the gall to give her a wide-eyed look of innocence, “But this one is special!”

Mitsuki shakes his head, “Special how?”

Ren refuses to answer, merely gesturing towards the extra bedroom the two have kept as a guest bedroom, “Just go take a look.”

“And the blood?”

“The blood can wait until later.”

“No, it really can’t.”

“Well, it’s not like we’re going to keep this place anyway.”

“What, a month is more than enough for you before you decide to hop to the next best thing?”

“Come on! Just do it!”

“Fine.” Mitsuki places down the cleaning supplies in her hands and stands up to head to the guest bedroom, with Ren trailing after her eagerly.

She distantly notes the drops of blood leading to the door, and her lips twist in displeasure; more work.

“Ren, is this one of your ridiculous whims again?” Mitsuki sighs tiredly as she opens the door, “How many time do I have to tell you that you are not a cat and that you should stop dragging corpses into our safe-houses as a sign of affect-“ She stops in place and stares, wide-eyed, at the corpse laid out on the bed.

It’s been brutally mangled- all except for the head still attached to the body, leaving no doubt to the identity of the murdered.

Mitsuki inhales, “Ren?”

“Yessss?” Ren almost giggles from behind her (the asshole must clearly be enjoying this, and Mitsuki can understand why; she certainly would be if their positions were reversed).

“Is that Shido Masayoshi’s corpse?”

Ren breaking out into smothered cackles is the only confirmation she needs.

“Marry me.”

“Done!”

Wait. Mitsuki still hasn’t gone ring shopping. Well. She’ll get to it later, now she has more important matters to deal with.

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Assassin/Hitman AU! Both Fem!Akechi and fem!Ren are assassins. You can comfortably assume that Shido was Akechi’s previous boss and Akechi ran away from his organization/conspiracy but was declared a traitor and Shido sent his men after her. Akechi meets Ren while on the run and the two get along like a house on fire~!


	26. Chapter 26

_Note: for the fake title prompt meme on tumblr. Anon asked for ‘_ Sky-colored eyes _’ fandom unspecified._

**Warnings: They Snark.**

**Disclaimer:** Don’t own KHR.

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Tsuna sighs as he rakes his hands through his hair.

“Yuni!” He almost wails, “When will Byakuran finally get here? I need him here like, three hours ago!”

Yuni hums from her perch over the Scrying Mirror, “He has momentarily escaped my Sight.”

“You’ve been saying the same thing for the past three hours and a half!”

Yuni blinks innocently at him, “But it’s the truth.”

Tsuna buries his head in his hands and groans. Minutes later, he raises his head to send her a miffed look, “Momentarily doesn’t mean hours!”

She waves a dismissive hand, “We are gods who have lived for centuries. What are hours to us if not mere moments?”

He points at her accusingly, “Don’t pull the ‘being immortal changes perspective’ card on me when we’re supposed to be figuring out which parts of the paperwork belong to which one of us! I know you’re doing this to prolong the inevitable! You won’t escape your paperwork so easily!”

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Deity AU about Yuni&Tsuna&Byakuran shenanigans.


	27. Chapter 27

_Note: for the fake title prompt meme on tumblr. Anon asked for ‘_ Will you step on me? Please? _’ fandom unspecified._

**Warnings: Genderbent.**

**Disclaimer:** Don’t own P5.

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Mitsuki sighs as she goes about organizing the files she’d been tasked with handling for the day, wondering in annoyance about what could possibly be the reason she is the one to get saddled with boring paperwork.

It’s true that she’s still just an intern in the agency’s office, but so is Niijima Sae, and _she_ doesn’t have to deal with the paperwork. Oh no, she gets to handle field work.

Mitsuki presses her lips into a thin line, doing her best to mask her annoyed scowl as a concentrated frown.

It’s because she’s pretty, isn’t it? Mitsuki inwardly scoffs.

It figures her new bosses only care about looks as opposed to experience. It only serves to make her angrier at the situation.

There is nothing wrong with how she looks, right? She always makes sure she looks her best, tidy, professional, warm, welcoming.

What makes _Niijima_ better than _her_? The silver curtain of hair draped over her shoulder and cascading down her back? The bangs sliding along one side of her face to partially obscure one eye? The piercing red eyes and sharp features? The aloof and cold aura? Her mature style of clothes? The fact that she wears heels, which are absolutely impractical but also apparently induce an instant reaction of ‘step on me please’ which is enough to counter the impracticality?

Mitsuki’s frown deepens against her better judgement, and she clenches the pen in her hand tighter, the plastic creaking in her grip.

She’s going to get to the bottom of this and knock Niijima down a peg or ten.

“Akechi-chan?” A familiar and loathed voice calls out to her from behind her, smooth and rich and velvety, and she smoothes her expression before turning around to greet her caller.

“Ah, Sae-san,” She smiles politely, “Is there anything I can help you with?”

Sa- Niijima’s stern face melts into a gentle expression, causing Mitsuki’s heart to race in her chest and her skin to tingle- from anger no doubt; Niijima doesn’t get to act so sweet to her! If it’s a ploy to bend Mitsuki in her favor, then she is so not going to win. Mitsuki will never be swayed so easily.

Niijima shakes her head, “No, I was simply wondering about something. You seemed very stressed as of late, so I was thinking if you’d like to let loose and go out with me sometimes? We can go out and eat something after you’re done from work today and talk a bit? We’re colleagues and around the same age, so it disheartens me to see us be strangers to each other.”

“I see.” Mitsuki chuckles softly, keeping her pleasant public mask firmly in place, “That sounds very logical, Sae-san. I wouldn’t mind at all.” Mitsuki nods; keep your friends close and your enemies closer and all that.

S- Niijima smiles, “I’m glad to hear that. How about sushi today?”

Mitsuki’s heart lurches in her chest, and she resists the urge to throw her chair at Niijima. How _dare_ that woman use her weakness against her?!

“I know this great conveyor belt sushi place that’s nearby.”

Instantly, Mitsuki’s smile freezes on her face as she dies a little inside.

_Conveyor._

_Belt._

_Sushi._

“So, how about it?”

Mitsuki nods mechanically, and Niijima doesn’t seem to notice anything strange about the expression as she doesn’t falter in her approach, “Great! Meet after work?”

Mitsuki nods again, and Niijima takes that as her sign to leave to office.

Mitsuki waits for a few minutes, to make sure Niijima is a sufficient distance away, before she lets her mask crumple. Grounding her teeth in seething rage, she succumbs to the temptation to break the pen in her hand in halves.

She’s going to make that woman pay.

_Dearly._

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Fem!Akechi/Sae fic. Both are recent university graduates and interning at the same office. Sae is crushing hard but her attempts at getting close to fem!Akechi fall flat, because fem!Akechi is thirsty and in denial, and her brain always translates everything that Sae does and says as intended to insult her on a personal level. Good luck, Sae!


	28. Chapter 28

_Note: for the fake title prompt meme on tumblr. **Tren** asked for ‘_ Retention Retaliation Regret _’ fandom unspecified._

**Warnings: Second Person POV.**

**Disclaimer:** Don’t own P5.

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Nimble fingers move underneath your focused gaze as they work on preparing your order before placing it steadily in front of you.

Your lips stretch into a smile as you thank the barista, a terrible habit you’ve yet to break, and the barista nods before quietly heading to the sink off to the side to wash the dirty cups piled in it.

Your hands reach for the cup of coffee, encircling it and bringing it over to your lips, relishing the warmth.

You take a sip.

It tastes mediocre, but hot coffee is hot coffee for you on this cold December day, and you may have been spoiled by Leblanc’s coffee, so great taste isn’t what you’re looking for right now.

What you’re looking for is an escape. An escape and a place where you can think quietly without anyone bothering you.

You had expected that you’re going to end up avoiding Leblanc permanently after what you did on November 20th, but you didn’t expect to have to do so in your current circumstances.

You take another sip, and you let your mind wander.

The place is quiet, and it’s just you and the barista. It’s so, so easy for your mind to conjure an image of Leblanc, and superimpose it on your surroundings.

The image, fake as it is, invokes emotions in you, old emotions you fight to stomp down, old emotions you don’t want to deal with right now, not while waiting for the dreaded December 18th, not while you’re currently stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Jealousy and admiration, a cocktail of doom, a drink you knock back in one go and allow to travel through your body, to infuse you with resentful energy to fuel you as you keep going with your plans, to reach your end goal, while simultaneously attempting to shackle you to a hopeless dream.

Someone slips into the seat next to you and orders something, you don’t pay attention to what the voice says but to what the voice _is_.

You don’t look at your side, even when the barista brings in the other’s drink, even when the other starts sipping at the coffee.

The two of you drink your coffee in silence.

You don’t look until the two of you are finished, and gray eyes meet your gaze.

He doesn’t push at you, pressure you, ask you why you didn’t go to Leblanc, ask you why you didn’t call or text him.

You hate how he easily makes you feel guilty about the contrasting duality of your own feelings towards him, even when he’s not even trying to guilt trip you. You hate it more given that you’ve never felt guilty about them before.

You stare at your hands, covered in black leather hiding away the blood staining them, and you sigh.

Dwelling on the past is not of any use to you right now, not like this. Your soul and memory may hold onto it until who knows how long, you’re not going to- no one expects you to- let go of it that easily.

You may hold onto it, but _it_ must not hold onto _you_.

You stand up, thanking the barista again, before heading out. Faint sound of footsteps follows you out.

You walk together to the train station in companionable silence, shoulders and hands brushing as your bodies linger close to each other.

It could be worse, it could be better, but you’ll never know, and you don’t want to dwell on what-ifs, not when your perspective can’t keep itself straight two days in a row.

You board the train, a supposed dead man walking right behind you.

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Introspective fic in three segments going chronologically backwards, about Akechi and his admiration and jealousy of Joker, after engine room confrontation (in an AU in which he lives), after interrogation room, and after joining the team.


End file.
